This invention relates to mounts by which components can be mounted on musical instruments. Non-limiting examples of components that can be mounted by the present invention include signal processing components for musical instruments that have their music electronically amplified. The present invention also relates to two types of such components and an electrical coupling that can be used with the components.
The musical instruments to which the present invention pertains can be of any type with which the present invention is useful. One particularly suitable type of musical instrument is a hollow body guitar that can acoustically and mechanically output sound but for which electrical amplification is desired. More generally, the present invention is applicable to any guitar which has on-board (i.e., on the instrument) circuitry for enabling electrical amplification. Such electrical amplification can be the sole means of sound reproduction (e.g., a solid body guitar with electromagnetic pickups) or as an adjunct to mechanical sound reproduction/amplification (e.g., a hollow body guitar which has a sound hole and to which a microphone or other transducer is connected). The one common feature of the musical instruments to which the signal processing components of the present invention pertain is that each instrument provides and processes the electrical signal through an analog circuit as opposed to a purely digitally reproduced or synthesized sound.
On at least some types of these musical instruments, there is only a thin piece of wood to which to secure the electrical amplification circuit components. One way such components can be secured is to put screws through a housing holding the components and into the wood of the instrument; however, it is relatively easy to pull out these screws because of the thinness of the wood, thereby leaving the circuit unsecured and possibly damaging the instrument as well as the circuit. Attachment by screws can itself damage the wood or the finish on the wood (e.g., by causing splitting), such as if holes for the screws are not drilled properly. Thus, there is the need for an improved mount for components to be carried on musical instruments.
As to the components that can be so mounted, these can be anything that needs to be mounted. Examples include switches, knobs and entire circuits. One specific component is a housing with an internal circuit that processes the analog electric signal from the electric pickup device. In general, these components give the musician some control over the sound that is electrically reproduced (i.e., control beyond the actual playing of the instrument). In the past, this control has typically been limited to changing potentiometers in bass, midrange and treble circuits and the like and to actuating switches to select different pickup combinations or filter networks. To enhance player control of the reproduced music, there is the need for more sophisticated on-instrument control that musicians can operate while playing.
In providing more sophisticated on-instrument control, there is also the need for an output electrical coupling from the circuit that enables energization of the circuit when a mate is connected to the coupling (e.g., a plug inserted into a socket).